In 1783, three-year-old Sarah Whitcher (the authors' great- great-great-great-great-aunt) wandered into the woods near Warren, New Hampshire; four days later, she was found by a man who had dreamed that she under a particular pine, guarded by a bear. Some of the searchers--who found Sarah surrounded by bear tracks--recorded this experience, as did Sarah herself, years later. Alternating between Sarah's journey (unafraid of the endearingly gentle animal because she thinks it's a ``big black dog,'' she curls up next to it and goes to sleep) and the family and neighbors' search, the authors re-create the incident in a simple, direct narrative enlivened with dialogue and authentic detail. Rand's settings--especially the darkening forest, in luminous shades of gray-green, and the soft, furry bear--are beautifully painted; his humans are a bit trite and over-pretty, but that's a small flaw in an unusually appealing slice of Americana. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.